Bottle carrier



Feb. 17, 1948.

J. w. SIMMONS BOTTLE CARRIER.

Filed Aug. 16, 1945 2 sheets-sheet 1 J. w. SIMMONS BOTTLE CARRIER Feb. 17, 1948.

Filed Aug. 1e, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 rlllllllhkt s m m JACK Patented Feb. 17:2 1948 UNITED. STATE s PATENT ori-ICE BOTTLE CARRIER Jack W. Simmons, TallahasseaFla.. Application August 16, 1943, Serial No. 498,794

This invention relates to carriers for bottles or the like, and particularly to portable containers for soft drink beverages. To a great extent, such containers have in the past been made of ber board, but war ydemands have seriously curtailed the use of that material and have sharply increased its cost.

An object of the present invention is to provide a carrier made of thin wood stock, such as veneer, .as anlinexpensive and readily available substitute .for paper and liber board cartons.

' Another. obiectis to provide a low cost wood container capable of being stored and supplied to the trade in knock down form, which can be quickly and easily assembled for use.

Still another objiect is to provide, in such a container, asnovel arrangement of handle mounting means that .functions to maintain the container inrset up condition. `The accompanying drawings illustrate practical embodiments of the invention. It is to be understood, however, that the structural details and arrangements as shown may be varied as desired within the limits imposed by the scope of the invention as claimed. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of an assembled container.

Figure 2 is a section therethrough on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line 4 4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of the flat blank from which the container is formed.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a binder member that serves also as a handle mount.

Figure '7 is a perspective view of a spacer insert.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary vertical section, partly in elevation. illustrating in full and dotted lines various positions assumed by the parts in setting up the container.

Figure 9 is an elevation of a nested stack of containers of a modified form.

Figure 10 is a vertical section taken on the line Iii- I0 of Figure 9.

The bottom, end walls, and sides of the container are made of a flat blank of veneer-see Fig. 5having a solid bottom portion I I and end Wall portions I2, with a plurality of spaced parallel veneer strips I3 outwardly overlying the bottom panel II in transverse relation and rigidly secured thereto by suitable attaching means I4, here shown as staples. The opposite end portions of the strips I3 provide side wall sections 2 Claims. (Cl. 224-45) I5 for the container. Cleats I6 overlie the'outer ends of the sections I5 transversely thereof, and similar cleats I1 overlie the'outer ends of the end wall portions I2 transversely thereof. All cleats are mitered at their ends and are secured to their respective strips and end walls by others of the attaching means I4. The -bottom'edge of each cleat from end to end is undercut on an inward and upward bevel I8.

In assembling the container the end walls I2 are bent upwardly perpendicular to the bottom l panel I I and the side wall sections I5 are similarly bent to bring the mitered ends of all cleats into meeting relation as shown in Figure 1. The end walls and sides have a hinged connection with .their respective bottom portions along the 4lines of fold I9 and 2i), respectively. In the embodiment ilustrated in Figure 5 the hingedconnection is effected by scoring the veneer appropriately, but the invention is not limited to this expedient, and any desired type of hinged connection may be substituted; the `hinged portions may be separate from the bottom portion. l l

The sides and end walls are retained in upright position by binding means 2|; a preferred form of which comprises an endless band or wire of rectangular configuration that is slipped up from the bottom. fitting closely over the ends and sides, to seat snugly in the undercut channel formed by the cleat bevels I8. At longitudinally opposed points the end flights of the binder 2l are bent in outwardly directed lateral loops 22 to which are attached the looped ends of a lifting bail 23 suitably provided with hand grip means 24. The

loops 22 of the binder are somewhat offset with respect to the plane of the binder, as best seen in Figure 2, so as not to interfere with proper seating of the binder beneath the cleats.

It will be apparent that when the container is lifted the opposing forces of upward pull acting through the bail 23 on the binder 2l and the downward pull of the containerV body will cause the binder to cam inwardly on the cleat bevels I8 to force the mitered cleat ends into tight pressure engagement, thus insuring rigidity to the wall structure.

If desired, a combined spacer and compartment forming member may be employed with the container. This member is constructed of two identical sections 25 of veneer secured together in full face contact by others of the attaching means I4 to provide a longitudinal central partition having oppositely and laterally directed end portions 26 abutting the end walls I2 and extending to the sides of the container. The member is inserted through the open top of the container and seats on the bottom thereof. and. prior to assembly, is iiattened with the end portions 26 abutting in the longitudinal plane of the attached sections 25. These end portions are hingedly connected to the sections 25, preferably by scoring along the lines of fold 21.

The containers are stored and shipped in knock down form with the walls and bottom attened out as shown in Figure 5, as likewise are the flattened partition members and the binders and handle hails. This effects great economies in storage and shipping and enables the production of a low cost container. Y*

An alternative embodiment of the invention,

. shown in Figures 9 and 10, utilizes thelidentical structure of the preceding embodiment except that scoring of the veneer stock is dispensed with and the green material is partially bent into iinished set up form at the time of manufacture, so that it is an easy matter to complete Vthe slight bending necessary to bring the end walls and sides into'fully set up position `to receive the binder andizhandle bail. This partial bending enables thecontainers to be storedy and shipped in nested relation, as shown. The same reference charactersare employed in `liiguresi) and 10 as are used in the preceding views, for the parts are the same.

Containers produced in accordance with this invention'are extremely eicient and economical. 'I'he container mayserve as a basket or box, in which latter case the handle bail may be eliminated. The sides and walls may be joined by sultable attaching clips,'brads, etc., in lieu of the particular 'retaining means shown; also, a pluralityzof partition members may be employed invarious arrangements as desired.`

I-Lclaim: L

1. A portable container comprising a bottom panel of veneer" having end portions hinged theretoto form end walls, side wall sections of veneer hinged to saidV bottom, cleats on the free ends of said end and side walls, said .cleats being undercut at their bottom edges, an endless band slidable on and over said walls to seat in the cleat undercuts and retain the walls in upright position, said band having a laterally directed bend at each end thereof, and a lifting bail secured at its ends to said loops.

2` A portable container comprising a bottom panel of veneer having end portions hinged thereto to form end walls, side wall sections of veneer hinged to said bottom, cleats onthe free ends of all said walls and adapted to abut at their ends when the walls are in upright-position, said cleats 'having upwardly and inwardly inclined bottom Y edges. an endless wire binder slidable on and over said -walls, to engage beneath the inclined bottom *edges-of the cleats, and a lifting bail attached at its ends-to opposite ends of said binder, said binder when the container is lifted camming inwardly on the inclined bottom edges of the' cleats to compress the walls into tight pressure engagement at theabutting cleat ends.- Y i.

-. v Y JACK W. SIMMONS. vmnviaitnriclis .CITED i v The following references are of recordvin` the le of this -patent: 1

UNITED 4STATES. PATENTS A Number Name y Date I '74,456 Viele Feb. 11, 1868 279,689 Barker June 19, 1883 288,429 Haines Nov. 13, 1883 851,132 Heinrich 1-- Apr. 23, 1907 909,715 Troegeler Jan. 12, 1909 1,123,453 Witte Jan. 5, 1915 1,468,269 Kelly Sept. 18, 1923 1,486,747 Hibbard Mar. 11, 1924 1,588,550 Smith June 15, 1926 1,692,915 Wood Nov. 27, 1928 1,738,951 Hulbert Dec. 10, 1929 1,954,201

Goodyear Apr. 10, 1934 

